Sweet taste of success for North Yorkshire bakers
NORTH Yorkshire bakers Elizabeth Botham & Sons and the Harrogate Cake Company will have their products sold in Waitrose stores after a ‘meet the buyer’ event.
The Regional Food Group for Yorkshire and Humber (RFG) organised the event will see eight Elizabeth Botham & Sons products on the shelves at Waitrose’s Harrogate, Otley, Sheffield and Willerby stores from the end of March.
Shoppers will be able to choose from five of the Harrogate Cake Company’s range at Harrogate and Otley stores from mid-April.
Since 1865, Whitby-based Elizabeth Botham & Sons has operated a family-owned craft bakery.
The bakery and RFG memeber still follows original recipes, skilfully combining the finest ingredients to produce biscuits, plum bread and cakes of the highest possible standard.
Michael Jarman, its managing director, said that the Regional Food group’s help had been invaluable.
“Its workshops have been most informative and the networking evenings have provided us with essential contacts,” he added.
Fellow specialist baker the Harrogate Cake Company supplies both fine quality cakes and chocolate.
The company’s fruit cake has been selected by the Waitrose regional buyers to supply local supermarkets.
Heather Cawthorne, company director of the Harrogate Cake Company, said, “We are absolutely delighted to be listed with such a prestigious and renowned retailer.
“It is thanks to Waitrose and the RFG, for their input, that we now have this fantastic opportunity to bring our products to more consumers than ever before”.
John Vine, Waitrose regional food buyer, said that the supermarket’s customer were interested in both high quality food and knowing where it came from and how it was made.
“The ‘meet the buyer’ events are a great way to meet regional suppliers and to build long term relationships,” he added.
“It’s very important that supermarkets work with small suppliers. At Waitrose we place a lot of emphasis with supporting regional food suppliers and finding a national market for their products.
RFG chief executive Jonathan Knight said that to have two members selected to stock a leading UK supermarket was fantastic news.
He added that RFG worked hard to help and guide its members throughout the selection process.
“We provide a support service to our members looking to work with a supermarket, especially if it is for the first time, from the initial ‘meet the buyer’ event through to the produce being listed in stores,” said Mr Knight.
